The incident primarily involves the Produce 101 series and Idol School, which were intended to create K-pop groups with members selected by audience vote.
On December 3, 2019, Ahn, Kim, and six other entertainment agency representatives were indicted for charges including obstruction of business, fraud, and bribery.
In 2009, South Korean cable television channel Mnet produced their first reality competition series, Superstar K, which immediately became popular, creating a boom of audition program franchises.
[1][2][3] In 2016, they launched Produce 101, aiming to create a short-term K-pop project group of 101 contestants with all 11 members selected by audience vote.
The group formed from that show, I.O.I, was successful throughout their one-year contract, and due to their popularity, Mnet subsequently continued the series, creating its own franchise.
[7] In addition to the Produce 101 series, Mnet launched Idol School in 2017 with a similar premise, which created the girl group Fromis 9.
[citation needed] In response to the allegations, Mnet admitted that there were errors in calculation, but also maintained that the final rankings were correct and that there was no intention of changing X1's member line-up.
[9] Fourteen representatives from the entertainment agencies of the 20 finalists held a meeting on July 29, 2019, and agreed to support Produce X 101's outcome and X1's debut.
[11][12] On August 20, 2019, a search warrant was issued on CJ E&M offices and a text voting company by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.
[22] Participants of Produce X 101 and Idol School and agency officials alleged anonymously that the production teams were biased towards trainees they preferred, such as forcing song producers to give certain trainees more lines and providing them with more screen time; one of them alleged that a contestant had his screen time completely removed after raising a complaint against a staff member, who had yelled at him to wake up.
[23] In an interview with MBC, a trainee alleged that, throughout their six-month training period, the contestants were only given clothes appropriate for the summer and had to wear them in cold weather.
[21] During the October 15 broadcast of PD Note, several trainees anonymously claimed that their living quarters had poor ventilation and some girls developed rashes from dust.
[33] The indictment, however, clarified that, from January 2018 to July 2019, Ahn received services 47 times, estimating ₩46.83 million, that were paid for by the five talent agency representatives in exchange for giving their trainees favorable screentime.
In addition, Ahn claimed that while he violated the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, he only drank with entertainment agency representatives without accepting bribes, a statement that was supported by the other defendants.
[55][56] On November 18, 2020, the trial of appeals for the case of Produce 101 series was held, the court revealed the list of contestants who were eliminated due to manipulation.
[64] Following Ahn Joon-young and Kim Yong-bum's arrests, Mnet stated that their current and future reality programs, such as Queendom and Teen Singer, will be implementing an "observer system", where ordinary people and third parties will be overseeing the votes.
[75] In addition, Iz*One's showcases, promotions, and several guest appearances were cancelled or put on hold,[75][76][77][78][79][80] as well as their concert film, Eyes on Me: The Movie.
[81] On November 28, 2019, Iz*One's Japanese promotions were also suspended,[82] including Sakura Miyawaki and Hitomi Honda's individual radio shows.
[85] On December 30, 2019, Mnet and CJ ENM announced that both Iz*One and X1 will begin discussing future plans for the groups, and that the eliminated trainees will be fairly compensated.
[90][91] Following initial accusations in July 2019, politician Ha Tae-keung (Bareunmirae member at the time, now with People Power Party) condemned Mnet, stating that some of the numbers had a low probability of naturally occurring.
[12][92] On October 17, 2019, Korea Communications Standards Commission revealed that they may fine Mnet up to ₩30 million for violating the Enforcement Decree of the Broadcasting Act.
[96][97] Following the news, Lee revealed on Instagram and on the October 15 broadcast of PD Note the poor conditions she and other contestants worked under.
[27] After Ahn Joon-young and Kim Yong-bum's arrests, Shiori Niwa, another contestant of the first season, posted and later deleted tweets alleging that some of the trainees already knew the lyrics and choreography to "Pick Me" by the time she heard it.
[98] Jung Dong-soo, a contestant of Produce 101 Season 2, called for the culprits to be punished and later stated that, while he had suspected the ranks were manipulated, he was "shocked" and "angry".